This Earth Day, make a pledge to be green and save some green! By following the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra, you can help the environment while helping your wallet. Take a look at the list below, and try to find at least one thing you can change or improve.

Reduce:

1. Gas – The cost of gas is no joke. Carpooling with a spouse or coworker even one day a week can make a significant difference on emissions and how often you need to fill your tank. If your job allows it, you could also try working from home a few days a month, or working four 10 hour days to save a trip a week. If you are one of those lucky enough to live close to work, try walking or biking on nice days.
2. Electricity – Even when turned off, anything connected to a plug sucks energy. Try to unplug items that you aren’t using, or at least those that you don’t use very often. If your outlets are hard to get to, plug several electronics into a power strip that you can just flip off when you need to. Another easy way to save on electricity is to switch to Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs.
3. Water – Simply turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth can save enough water to make a difference, but there are several other ways to conserve water around your house. Get a low-flow toilet, or for a cheaper option, displace the water in the tank with a plastic water bottle or rocks. This will leave enough water to flush, but reduce the excess water that isn’t needed to do the job. Also, modern dishwashers tend to use less water than hand washing, and professional car washes use less than you would at home.
4. Paper/Plastic/Styrofoam – Do you find yourself constantly leaving notes around your house for yourself or others? Pick a central place in the home and put up a dry erase board instead! Another easy way to reduce the amount of paper/plastic you use is to move away from paper plates and plastic utensils. It is actually better for the environment to use the little bit of water to wash a plate and fork than to throw away disposable dishes. You should also take your own coffee mug and/or water bottle to work. By keeping these items at work and rinsing them daily, you are lowering the amount of trash you produce.

Reuse:

1. Containers – Those boxes or plastic containers are perfect for home or office organization! Simply cover them with wrapping paper or pretty duct tape to make them match your current décor.
2. Compost – Potato skins, egg shells, vegetable stems, coffee grounds, leaves, and even dryer lint can all be reused to fertilize your lawn or garden. Learn the basics of composting.
3. Water – Get a rain barrel and use the water for your lawn, garden, or outdoor water feature. You can also use this water to bathe your pets or wash your car.
4. Tools – Most homes will purchase a tool for one job then let it sit in the garage or shed for years. Buy cheaper tools at a garage sale, borrow from a friend or family member, or rent from a home improvement store.

Recycle:

1. The staples – Most neighborhoods and offices now allow you to recycle paper, plastics, and aluminum. The lucky ones can even recycle glass containers.
2. Electronics – Donate or recycle old phones, computers, or pretty much any other electronic device. A quick Google search can give you local recycling options, and many of them will actually pay you!
3. Styrofoam – This one is a bit more tricky, but can be done. For those that shop online, you may have an excess of Styrofoam packing or packing peanuts. Many shipping stores such as FedEx or UPS will take those packing peanuts off your hands, but larger chunks have to be recycled at a certain facility. Visit Earth911.com and enter your zip code to find a drop-off location near you!
4. Batteries – Batteries should never be thrown away with your normal trash. If there is a Best Buy near you, they normally accept batteries and recycle or dispose of them properly. You can also visit batteryrecycling.com for other options.

Forget about all your stress and troubles and immerse yourself in nature today by taking a walk around your local park. Walking is great exercise, and being out in nature can have a calming effect on the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Bring a loved one or canine companion with you, and take in all the beauty the park has to offer.

Check your town’s activities calendar to find out about fun events happening at your local park. If you don’t know of any parks in your area, the National Wildlife Federation’s website will help you find a park to take a walk in nearby.

Check out some of our picturesque calendars that feature National Parks!

Springtime is rapidly approaching, which means soon enough we’ll be surrounded by flowers and lush vegetation. Do your part in helping make the world more beautiful by celebrating Plant a Flower Day.

If you live in a warmer climate, pick out some beautiful bulbs or seeds and plant some flowers right in your own backyard. If it isn’t quite warm enough for gardening where you live, you can grow your plants indoors until spring has really sprung.

You should also check out our line of Green Pieces Puzzles. The puzzle pieces contain wildflower seeds that can be planted once you have successfully put it together.

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of adjusting clocks so that the optimum amount of daylight is utilized; clocks are turned one hour forward in the spring (spring ahead) and one hour back in the fall (fall behind). It is observed in several parts of the world, most notably North America, with the exception of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What we know today as Daylight Saving Time was an idea originally introduced in 1895 by New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson. He proposed a two hour daylight saving change to the Wellington Philosophical Society which received a lot of interest. Independently, outdoorsman William Willet proposed advancing clocks in the summer months in 1905, which was considered by British Parliament but not officially passed into law.

Germany launched observation of Daylight Saving Time on May 1, 1916 in an effort to conserve fuel during World War I. Many European nations followed suit, and the United States began observing Daylight Saving Time as mandated by the Standard Time Act of 1918. After the war, Daylight Saving Time was eradicated until World War II, when the federal government required states to observe the time change yet again as an endeavor to save energy for war production.

Following World War II, states chose independently whether or not they would adhere to Daylight Saving Time, which took advantage of later daylight hours between April and October. That is, until Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, legislation that would standardize Daylight Saving Time throughout the nation.

Daylight Saving Time was extended four weeks in 2007 as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The reason behind this was an attempt to save 10,000 barrels of oil every day, and lengthened Daylight Saving Time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

The benefits of Daylight Saving Time are seen in retail and business, sports, and the decrease in the amount of traffic-related accidents. The time change does present challenges as well, most notably the disruption of travel, billing, record keeping, software updates, and sleeping patterns.

Winter solstice, or Southern solstice in the Northern hemisphere, is the time of year in which the sun is at its most southern point in the sky. This event occurs every year on December 21 to December 22. The Sun will appear at its lowest point above the horizon at noon and shine directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Winter solstice also marks the point at which winter officially begins.

The reason for the seasons can be explained by Earth’s axial tilt, and Earth’s rotation on this axis as it also rotates around the Sun. The axis is tilted at about 23.5 degrees, causing the Northern hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere to experience different seasons at different times. Due to the Earth’s tilt, while the Northern hemisphere is receiving less sunlight, causing winter, our friends down under in the Southern hemisphere are soaking up more sunlight and experiencing summer.

Though not readily apparent except to those in high elevations, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. For several days around the solstice, the sun’s maximum elevation in the sky is at its lowest. The word solstice was derived from the Latin word “solstitium,” from sol meaning “sun” and -stitium meaning “a stoppage.” After the solstice, the days once again start to become longer and the nights shorter.

Though winter is usually regarded as a time of dormancy, the return of light became a reason for celebration in many cultures. These celebrations and festivals vary from being astronomical to symbolic to ritualistic, and many have evolved depending on how cultures developed. For a full list of winter festivals, go here.

If you opt for a real Christmas Tree in your household, this may be your last chance to find the perfect pine, spruce, or fir. If you have already tracked down your tree, then this can be a day to simply admire those evergreens you pass on your daily commute.

The tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas dates back to 16th century Germany. The town would gather to decorate a single tree in the market square with candles and wax ornaments. Nowadays, you can find a decorated tree in almost every house that celebrates Christmas and the decorations are a bit more ornate.

If you have been procrastinating, today is the perfect push you need. Go Look for an Evergreen!

The United Nations designated the year of 2002 as the International Year of Mountains to increase awareness of the importance of mountains and sustainable mountain development. International Year of Mountains was so successful that the United Nations General Assembly designated December 11 as International Mountain Day, starting in 2003.

International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world’s mountains and highlands.

Rainforest Day is a day to celebrate rainforests and their impact on the earth and its inhabitants. For example, rainforests help regulate temperatures and weather patterns and are also responsible for 28% of the world’s oxygen turnover. Discover more facts about rainforests at Nature.org.

Rainforest Day was also created to increase awareness about rainforest threats and, as a result, losses. Check out the organizations below to see how you can help!